Taking the helm as NASA s CIO is not rocket science --- it
might be harder.
On June 30, 26-year NASA veteran Larry Sweet of cially
replaced former CIO Linda Cureton and inherited one of
the most challenging CIO gigs in the federal government.
Sweet s appointment came after an exhaustive search that
took longer than expected. Cureton left in April, but NASA
had good reasons for not wanting to settle quickly on a CIO.
During the search process, Associate Deputy Administra-
tor Richard Keegan was installed as acting CIO, and NASA s
Of ce of Inspector General began an audit of the agency s IT
governance. The results, published in June, criticized NASA s
decentralized approach and made eight major recommenda-
tions for whomever the agency selected as CIO.
With that knowledge in hand, the agency cast a wide net,
seeking candidates who had demonstrated strong governance
throughout their careers.
At the time, Sweet had been the Johnson Space Center s
18 August 30, 2013 FCW.COM
An audit of the agency's IT
governance sets at least
part of the agenda for
Larry Sweet's tenure
By Frank Konkel
New NASA CIO embraces
job's challenges
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